Newbie here....how am I doing? Also looking for suggestions

This isn't my first time attempting to grow, but it will probably end up being my first successful grow.

5 of these plants are unknown while 4 are Critical Mass.

The larger plants in the back are almost 8 weeks old. The midsized ones to the right side are 7 weeks old. And the 4 small Critical Mass and unknown at the front of the cabinet are 6 weeks old.

The 5 small ones were hydro to begin with, but I was failing pretty hard at keeping the PH balanced that I was experiencing all kinds of nutrient lock-out. They were living, but growing painfully slow and looking unhealthy. Therefore I decided to transplant and go with all dirt. They have since much improved.

The 4 larger ones were started in dirt under a 230w T5 fixture. They were then moved in with my hydro under a 400 watt metal halide. I received this light free as it was being replaced in a factory.

Currently I have moved the largest plants away from the light and have been tying branches down to slow vertical and general growth while my others catch up. It seems to be working, but I don't know how much longer I can hold off flowering. Had I not tied them, they would already be too big for my space.

I'm purging the two largest of nitrogen to prepare to take clones this week once my gel arrives. I have some Clonex, though will be trying Olivia's. I plan to use the T5s for my clone farm.

Temperature is 72-75 F and humidity 40-45 percent. I have a dual exhaust fan to keep air circulating in and out of the cabinet.

I have another 400w metal halide fixture I will hopefully be putting in another grow room to come.


How am I doing? Any suggestions?

Here is another shot from a few days ago taken at a lower angle. They were moved around a little differently.

looking good. you can get the little ones to grow faster by putting something underneath them so that all plants are at the same height.

Here finally is an earlier picture (date unknown) from when I still had the hydro and before putting up mylar (I've slowly been getting more and more interested in growing).

The small plant in the middle was the first hydro to be transplanted. I didn't have any extra pots at the time so that's why it's in half a milk jug.

desertrat said:

looking good. you can get the little ones to grow faster by putting something underneath them so that all plants are at the same height.

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Thanks, that is a good idea. I think I will do that.

I have never heard of purging nitrogen before cloning, if anything I would say you want them to be as healthy and well fed as possible before cloning but maybe you know something i don't. Anyways It's going to be hard to maintian your plants at all different sizes, why don't u just use the new light for flowering and keep a veg room? That's probably what your thinking of doing anyways since your talking about taking clones. Just clone all your plants and keep the mommas in there and than flower clones in the other room at the same height. Take some clones now to determine the sex of your plants under some cfls or t5s and in a month you should have a bunch of cuttings that are all sexed.

Pipe Dream said:

I have never heard of purging nitrogen before cloning, if anything I would say you want them to be as healthy and well fed as possible before cloning but maybe you know something i don't.

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I hadn't heard of it either. I was just researching a lot of different sites and found this excerpt on a hydroponics site:

"
To help insure a better success rate with your cuttings it is a good idea to "purge" the nitrogen out of your mother plants before taking the cuttings (clones). Simply drain your reservoir and water the mothers with pH adjusted water only (no nutrient) for a few days, this forces the plant to feed off the excess nitrogen that the plant stores within itself. The end result is that the cuttings will root quicker, and start growing faster."

Pipe Dream said:

Anyways It's going to be hard to maintian your plants at all different sizes, why don't u just use the new light for flowering and keep a veg room? That's probably what your thinking of doing anyways since your talking about taking clones. Just clone all your plants and keep the mommas in there and than flower clones in the other room at the same height. Take some clones now to determine the sex of your plants under some cfls or t5s and in a month you should have a bunch of cuttings that are all sexed.

Click to expand...

Yeah I think you're right. I was going to build an actual room, but I don't have the means to do it right now. I think I'm just going to make a 5'x5'x5' PVC cabinet and hang my T5s in there along with a shelf for the clones. Then eventually get a HPS conversion bulb for my other MH and add another flowering room.

Thanks for your help.

Alright, I don't want to clutter this forum with any extra threads so hopefully somebody sees this.

I've changed my game plan and have almost completed another grow chamber. I'm about to put the 280 watt T5s (I said 230 earlier, they're 280W and 4' x 20") up in the new chamber. Now, until I get another light to root clones below this chamber, I would like to both root clones and veg my smaller plants in this chamber.

There are multiple options with these T5's ranging from 110 watts to the full 280. If need be I can hang this light at a slope to be closer to the cloning tray, but I just don't know. I see people rooting clones with very low wattage. That is my dilemma, do I run the light at 280W and keep it a moderate distance from the veg. plants while being quite further away from the clones, or do I move the clones closer to the light, or is 280W just too much for the clones?

Any input would be appreciated as I would like to get my smaller veg. plants out of my flowering chamber and begin flowering with my more mature plants. While at the same time wanting to take clones.

I'll probably post some pictures of what I'm working with shortly.

Oh, and I did take your advice for the time being, desertrat. It is working for sure, but they still don't stand a chance at catching up. I may even have them too close to the light, though they aren't showing signs of heat stress. It's just looking more like 80 degrees where they stand versus the 72-76 range. All looking healthy though.

Ok, the game plan is slowly changing. I have some new pictures and a new question.

I now have a metal halide to HPS conversion bulb which works in a metal halide ballast. I'm the experimental type so I am tempted to flower with the MH and see the difference as compared to a friend who's growing Critical Mass as well, but with HPS. I assume the answers will be quite subjective, but I'm always open to hearing real experiences.

On to what has changed...

I was incorrect in my prior posts. The T5s were in fact 324 watts. I have this light mounted under a table to root clones using only 108 watts (as seen in attached photos). Above I have a PVC frame which have 432 watt T5s mounted. I'm only running 216 watts worth because I was seeing heat stress, I raised them as well. Strangely it's only 70-72 degrees and 40-45 humidity there. There are approximately 60 rooted clones I have planted as seen in the picture (many more of the clones have rooted, but I don't have much more space).

My original chamber has become a flowering only chamber and all the small hydro along with the small mystery plant were looking male and had to go. I am 10 days into flowering, no pictures 'cause it's nightie night.

First picture is my new area (there will be more to come, IE: 10x10 room)

Second is a closer picture of some Critical Mass clones from a friends' female plants.

I also have another mystery plant whose clones have began to flower under 24 hrs of light, yet have no visible roots outside of the organic planters. The mama also began budding under 24 hrs of light.